Honest Stories From the Heart of a Confused, Anxiety-Ridden Catholic

30 Second Prayers

I am notorious for short prayers. I pray when I am tying my shoes in the morning or painting my nails at night. When it occurs to me in passing that maybe I should pray about something in particular, I often pray right then and there. I spend the 30 seconds it takes for me to get from my room to the kitchen praying a moment of thanks to God for waking me up and letting me live another day – even if this day includes a huge math test in school. Sometimes, when someone asks me to pray for them, I do in the 30 seconds that I am walking away from them and into the bathroom. When I was younger, my mom always taught me to do the sign of the cross when I saw an accident or heard sirens. I am a 30 second prayer type of person, and I think I am better for it.

I really like this tiny part of my life because this habit is a constant reminder that God is always with me. It also reminds me to be constantly aware of how everything is so divinely planned. It’s not that I forget that God has such control over the happenings of the world, it’s that when I stop for 30 seconds and really think about it I feel overwhelmed with comfort. That comfort is really beneficial for my faith life overall.

My prayer life is slowly growing warmer and warmer. I never thought I would even get to the place I am now with my faith, so this is really fulfilling to me. I feel more at peace with myself as well as with God. I hold myself to higher standards, and I didn’t expect that to happen. With every little prayer I find myself having in daily life, I can feel little wisps of my faith wrap around my heart. My deep prayers – the kind where I sit in solitude for much longer than thirty seconds – are richer because of my ability to fall into prayer faster. I used to sit forever and ever and only really be praying for a few minutes. My mind wandered then, but now I can concentrate better because I have prayed all day and can pray about everything I remember happening that day. I love 30 second prayers and everything they do for my entire life in the short time I live in them.